Monday, September 25, 2006

Republican Gov. Rick Perry, the biggest fundraiser of the Texas gubernatorial candidates, has gotten most of his contributions from people in the energy and natural resources field, according to a report released Monday. Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, an independent candidate and the state's chief financial officer, collected most of her campaign cash from lawyers and lobbyists, followed closely by the finance industry.

Report examines donations in governor's race

Associated PressSeptember 25, 2006

AUSTIN - Republican Gov. Rick Perry, the biggest fundraiser of the Texas gubernatorial candidates, has gotten most of his contributions from people in the energy and natural resources field, according to a report released Monday.

Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, an independent candidate and the state's chief financial officer, collected most of her campaign cash from lawyers and lobbyists, followed closely by the finance industry.

The breakdown of industry donations was part of a report issued by Texans for Public Justice, a non-profit that tracks money in politics.

From January 2003 through June 2006 the four major gubernatorial candidates on the Nov. 7 ballot raised a combined total of about $42.5 million, the report showed. Libertarian James Werner raised a negligible amount of money.

Perry raised $24 million in the period, compared with $13 million for Strayhorn, $3.4 million for independent candidate Kinky Friedman and $2.1 million for Democrat Chris Bell, Texans for Public Justice reported.

Bell's largest concentration of donations came from lawyers and lobbyists, amounting to $619,650 of his total. Friedman's biggest concentration - $950,500 - came from miscellaneous businesses. Friedman's biggest identifiable donor professions were lawyers and lobbyists, who gave him $153,152.

Perry collected $3.2 million from the energy and natural resources field, followed by $2.8 million from miscellaneous interests, $2.5 million from the finance industry and $2.2 million from construction interests.

Strayhorn got $2.9 million from lawyers and lobbyists, $2.8 million from the finance industry and $1.4 million from energy and natural resource interests.